WATFORD
SWIMMING CLUB

HERTFORDSHIRE, ENGLAND

(Affiliated
to East Region ASA, Herts A.S.A. and L.W.P.L.)

Founded
1901

Club History

1901 - 2008

The Club

Watford Swimming and Water Polo Club was
established in 1901 and is now based at Woodside Leisure Centre, Horseshoe Lane,
Watford, Hertfordshire, England, WD25 7HH. Originally meeting at the river in
the lower part of Watford, near Bushey Arches (Click
Here). In 1932 we moved to the Watford Central Baths (Click
Here), which at the time was the only municipal covered pool in the county
until after the war. Watford council have built two new 25m pools which the
club will be using as their base, the first pool opened on 7th June 2008. The Club is
affiliated to the "Eastern Region Amateur Swimming Association" and the
"Hertfordshire Amateur Swimming Association". There is also a polo club which is
affiliated to L.W.P.L, ERASA and the Herts ASA. Watford's colours are Red and
Blue.

I have just been on the WSC website and would like to add a few memories (as I
shall be 70 in September):
My father Stanley Jack Simmons (1909-1998) was the club secretary 1949-1954
My idol at the time when I was a budding backstroker (aged 15-16) was Julie
Hoyle, I thought she was stunning!
I later went on to swim for the county and for the army during my National
Service ( I was excused some of the mundane chores in the army which was great)
I always remember that Brian Curtis used to slap one arm on the water when he
swam freestyle which did no agree with Bill Juba's coaching.
My best friend at the time I was in the club was Charles Daplyn, only son of Bob
Daplyn. The Daplyns included me in their family holidays in Norfolk on many
occasions.
Regards, Martyn Simmons

WSC 75th Anniversary Programme-1901 to 1976

The Watford
Observer-Saturday ,May 23rd 1901-Watford Swimming Club-A meeting was held on
Thursday evening, at the Wellington Arms,when the above club was formed.It was
resolved that the annual subscription be 5s.,with an entrance fee of 2s.6d. Time
trials will be swum on Thursday next at 8 p.m., at the Bathing Place.It was
decided to join the Amateur Swimming Association and Life Saving Society.
Mr.Lyons,who is a medallist of the society, will give instruction to any
member. The secretary will be pleased to receive names of those desirous of
joining.All communications to be addressed to the Hon.Secretary, W.Kinselle,The
Ferns,Wiggenhall-road,Watford.

On Saturday 17th
August 1901,the first swimming gala was held with several internationals
appearing and the first water polo match was seen in Watford.
"The Bathing Place" was on part of the River Colne near where it passes under
the five railway arches and beside the Stephenson Way (A4008) road built in the
late 20th Century.

Showers fall at annual galaJuly
25th, 1908

Though the sun was shining when the seventh
annual gala of the Watford Swimming Club was opened at the Five Arches
Bathing-place on Saturday, frequent showers fell during the afternoon, and the
final events were decided in a heavy downpour.
In the open handicap the Lutonians had the first man home in Waller, who was on
the 13 seconds mark, but Cutchee, of Watford, with 19 seconds, was a strong
runner-up, if the term can be used in connection with aquatics.
A graceful exhibition of diving was given by club members, and the comic events,
"cock-fighting" on a raft, upsetting a boat, and rescuing the "drowning," rod v
man, afforded general amusement.

"As far back as
1870,Watford residents would use the River Colne at the Five Arches Bathing
Place at Waterfields, off of the present day Stevenson Way, as a place to gather
and swim. Between 1871 and 1906, changing rooms were constructed along the edge
of the pool area, providing greater comfort for the men, women and children who
used the site. In fact, with the installation of additional changing rooms in
1906,records show more than 70,000 visitors used the pool that year, including
The Watford Amateur Swimming Club. Measuring approximately 100 feet by 40 feet,
the pool had been dredged and a layer of gravel used to cover the river bed,
providing an outdoor pool sufficient to house its many users. This pool remained
open until 1936, when contamination from sewerage convinced even the hardiest
swimmer that outdoor bathing had had its day. Three years earlier, in 1933,
Watford Corporation Baths in Hampstead Rod had been built, becoming the first
public baths in the country to be heated , using electricity,and the first
covered bath in Hertfordshire."

Leggett's/Bill
Everett last
Training Session

Interview with John Martin-Dye, a double Olympian, looking back
40 years

The founding father of the modern Olympic movement Pierre De
Coubertin had a simple philosophy: "The most important thing in the
Olympic Games is not to win, but to take part, just as the most important thing
is life is not the triumph but the struggle. The essential thing is not to
have conquered, but to have fought well."
De Coubertin's words are not eared towards the top athletes or
coaches, but the sportsmen and sportswomen around the globe who dream of one day
making it to the biggest sporting event in the world, the Olympic Games.
Like everything else in life, the harder you have to work for
something, the more you appreciate it. Sport is no different, "I
always wanted to be at the Olympics, I wanted to be a champion," and, true to
his words, John Martin-Dye was.
Six national championships, a European Silver medal and two
Olympic Games appearances were the highlight of a sparkling swimming career, but
looking back, Martin-Dye, 64, has no doubt as to what drove him to such heights. "Analysing it, I always felt that because perhaps I was a weaker
boy, I tried to find a sport that I was good at, and then thought,, 'right, I'm
going to show everybody'. I wasn't a runner, or great at football, but I
could swim."
"It's an inferiority complex but it's good and that's what makes
sport. You see it all the time. You fight at it and you do it, and
that's the great thing about sport." he added. That mentality certainly paid off. By 1960, he had booked
his place in the Great British Olympic team for the Rome Games. Again
though, it was this inferiority complex which spurred him on.
"At the Commonwealth Games in trials in 1958 I came last and was
really disappointed. But, that defeat was really a victory in disguise
because it spurred me on and there's no doubt that helped me to become a much
better swimmer."
However, Martin-Dye - who started swimming at the age of eight at
a club in Shepherd's Bush - knew that to compete with the best, he had to
totally change the way he looked at the sport. "Back then, it was all about pure ability, but I think I was one
of the first to come along and think that if I trained harder than anyone else,
then I could have more success." This of course, is common practise nowadays but, back the, it was
a radical departure.
I started training with weights and swimming every morning and
really putting the work in . Although it was not technically advised, the
work paid off."
Going into the Rome Olympic trials, Martin-Dye was generally
recognised as one-of-the-top British swimmers, certainly in his specialist
event, the 400m freestyle, but, again, on the big stage, perhaps with memories
of two years ago echoing around his head, he floundered. "As the trials grew nearer, I really started working so hard and
increased my training levels. When it came to competition, I was just
spent thought. That's the one big disappointment in my career; I
felt I should have done well, and could have done well in the Games themselves."
Martin-Dye was selected for the 4x200m relay though, and, with
the pressure off, he got faster and faster and proved a crucial member of a
British team which reached the Final.
The Final itself was one of those great Olympic occasions, and
one of Martin-Dye's most cherished moments. "It was a great day for the tea,. I will always remember,
the pool was this kind of brilliant blue, and the lights danced on the surface.
The stadium was absolutely packed out and the atmosphere was electric." "It's strange, but if you stand at the edge of a 50 metre pool
indoors, it's suddenly this huge daunting object, and I remember just looking
down lengthways, thinking about how daunting it looked. It's one of those
memories that always stays with you."
The British team actually surpassed all expectations to finish
fourth, breaking the European record in the process. His performances
encouraged selectors to pick him for the European Championships individual 400m
after Ian Black dropped out. This proved the catalyst for his most
successful year ever. "The sport is very different now. Harder, but different,"
Martin-Dye reflected.
It took me a little by surprise to discover that in the 1960's,
swimming was one of the most popular sports and, crucially, one of the most
successfully televised sports. "There was the national championships in Blackpool every year and
that was a very big deal," explained Martin-Dye. "There were no qualifying times and restrictions, so there were
hordes of swimmers, and of course it was a holiday destination so it was a great
trip. But the big thing was that the finals were on Friday and Saturday
nights prime-time, on television, live on a Saturday. But they'd talk
about swimming and the sport. "Now they tape a race and see it later. When do you ever
see it on TV or read about it in the newspapers?" he added.
It was at the |National Championships in 1961 that Martin-Dye
really made a name for himself. After winning the 400m on the Tuesday, and
the 200m in a televised final on the Friday, Martin-Dye completed a remarkable
treble by taking the 400m 24 hours later - a an achievement which remains
unmatched to this day. "It had never been done before so there was a fantastic build-up.
On the day though I felt relaxed and controlled, even though it was on the
television." He added a silver in the 4x200 relay at the European
Championships in Leipzig the following year but this though, proved to be the
high point of his career.
Later that year, at the Commonwealth Games in Perth, Australia,
despite high hopes, it "just didn't happen." One of the reasons, was perhaps the remarkable training
conditions top British sportsmen had to endure. "I think we were backward when it came to training in doing it
nationally. The likes of Holland have always done it properly. Where
we've fallen down is facilities. The government just haven't ever done
enough to build the facilities. "Training was a nightmare. One of the problems I found was
that you had to train in public baths. Most of the competitions were in
the summer when the baths were busy as well and you didn't have goggles to swim
under water.
"You had to weave in and out the other swimmers and couldn't time
yourself. It was a nonsense, but, if you say to yourself 'there's too many
in, I'm not going to do it' you get nowhere. But today, it's far more
organised."
"So, when you go abroad to the likes of Perth and see this big
beautiful pool it's an incentive to train and we just pushed ourselves too hard
and it takes the edge off." Nevertheless, Martin-Dye was still good enough
to secure selection for the 1964 Games in Tokyo. "I didn't do well but I wasn't really expected to."
"The Olympic Village in Tokyo was an old army barracks.
Everything was laid on and you were really treated well though, very much in the
same way as today."
However, on his way back from the far East, the team were treated
to a surprise visit: "The Tokyo team did especially well, so when we got
back we were whisked off to a hotel at Heathrow before going to meet the Queen,
which was very exciting."
Forty years on from his first Olympic appearance, Martin-Dye is
the perfect judge on swimming then, compared to swimming now, not least because
his youngest son Graham - now a water polo player in Australia - came very close
to making the swimming team for Sydney. "There's no doubt about it, the sport is much harder now.
They are just so focused.
Dedication is always a good thing though, but that was just
becoming to come into play when I started competing. There's so much more
control today. For example, your diet is strictly controlled, but, back
the I'd come home and have a slap-up meal." he added.
"There are still difficulties though, like youngsters in Watford
having to travel to Hatfield to train. Despite being born in West London, Martin-Dye moved to Watford 38
years ago and now coaches the successful Watford water polo team. In fact,
he is the only man to have represented Great Britain at both swimming and water
polo.
So what does he make of Britain's swimming chances at Athens? "To be honest, I'm Sceptical. Not because of what I've
seen, because I don't follow it that closely, but because of past history, and
that tells us we'll struggle."
Struggle though, is what the Olympic Games is all about.
Without the struggle, those rare moments of triumph would not be nearly so
sweet.13.08.04

Accompanied by their
partners some old members of Watford Swimming Club met
up for a re-union and activity weekend at a Multi Sports
Hotel in the West country.
First swimming together in the Club from the age of 12
all became regular members of the Club and Hertfordshire
County teams. Julie swam for GB in the Melbourne
Olympics finishing 6th in the 100 Backstroke and Brian
represented England in the 1958 Empire Games. Others
went on to achieve honours in Southern Counties and
Masters Competitions and served as President of our
club. Nov 2008.

The Daplyn TrophyBy Ernie Biggins

We all know of the
Daplyn Trophy as an annual county competition but where did it get
its name?
The wife of Bob (R.G.) Daplyn, to commemorate her husband and his
involvement in swimming, presented the trophy to the county.
Bob was a Past President of the Hertfordshire Swimming Association
but more importantly to us, Watford S.C. was his home club. He was
President here in 1955 and served as Treasurer of the club for many
years. He also played water polo in his earlier days.
Mrs Daplyn also gave the Medal and Chain of Office that our
President wears.
The inscription on the reverse reads
"Presented by Mrs.R.G.DAPLYN in memory of R.G.DAPLYN.1946-58"
(the years he was connected with the Club).
In his business life he was a Dental Consultant always seen in a
suit with tight waistcoat and tie. Privately he was a real
character, a chain smoker. We joked that he never had less than one
cigarette in his mouth at a time. As a one would nearly finish he
would light the next from it, smoking the two until the first was
finished and yes sadly but not surprisingly he died of cancer.
Not many people owned cars in those days but Bob had a big Austin
and would cram groups of us into it to take us to galas and polo
matches. These journeys were never without incident as Bob was prone
to coughing fits, when these happened he would take both hands off
the steering wheel to cover his face leaving the car to find it’s
own direction. Also when lighting one cigarette from another he
would be looking in the car mirror allowing the car to wander –
luckily there wasn’t too much traffic around in those days and no
accident occurred but the number of stories of near misses were
endless.
Next time you swim in the Daplyn Trophy be proud to represent
Watford as the competition is honouring a very important past member
of our club.